A sold out crowd of more than 300 gathered along the waterfront as the Alexandria Seaport Foundation held its annual Wine on the Water fundraiser Oct. 10 at the United Way Worldwide Headquarters.

The event raised more than $120,000 in support of the ASF mission of using boatbuilding and woodworking to build life skills in young adults.

“We are thrilled to have so many friends and so many new supporters join us for our most successful Wine on the Water event ever,” said ASF executive director Deb Roepke. “Many thanks to the board, the event committee, our sponsors, the apprentices and everyone who made it such a fun evening.”

The Seaport Foundation’s focus is on providing life and career skills to young people in need of confidence and a focus for their lives. Apprentices learn the maritime heritage of Alexandria and develop the hand-crafting skills required to build traditional wooden boats.

“Being an apprentice is being part of a family,” said Ben Hale, an ASF apprentice. “It’s not just the hard skills that we learn but also the soft skills like confidence, determination and being reliable. Those are the skills I value the most.”

Said ASF board chair Helen Morris, “In addition to raising money we are celebrating the work that our apprentices do every day and we appreciate the community in supporting our work.”

www.alexandriaseaport.org

“Being an apprentice is being part of a family,”

 ASF apprentice Ben Hale